The Military Balance has been published annually since 1959. The 2023 edition provides an open-source assessment of the armed forces and equipment inventories of 173 countries, with accompanying defence economics data. Alongside detailed country data, The Military Balance assesses important military issues, region-by-region, and includes graphics to illustrate these as well as noteworthy equipment developments. Maps this year include a focus on Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and select China-Russia military cooperation activities. The book draws on the range of data carried in the Military Balance+ online database, particularly the procurement features in each regional section. The accompanying wallchart explores the military use of outer space, an increasingly important element of defence capabilities, focusing on China, Russia and the United States. For those involved in defence and security policymaking, analysis and research, The Military Balance is an indispensable source.

Since the end of the Cold War, U.S. officials have been more willing to remind allies that the United States will not play the role of international policeman. Given U.S. reluctance, the job of peacekeeping will fall increasingly to international organizations and regional alliances. In International Peacekeeping Paul Diehl examines the recent record of United Nations peacekeeping forces and develops criteria for assessing their operations. His analysis provides useful guidance for the management of new hostilities in areas such as Central and Eastern Europe, where the dissolution of the Soviet Union has spawned bitter civil wars and dangerous border disputes. Diehl identifies three sets of factors that affect traditional international peacekeeping operations. He begins by discussing the practical concerns of peacekeeping efforts, such as force composition, organization, and deployment. He then examines issues related to the political and military context in which the forces are deployed, including the nature of the conflict and the involvement of third parties. Finally, he considers the authorization by the relevant international body - usually the United Nations - as it relates to the mission's mandate, policies, and financing. He concludes by analyzing the viability of new roles for U.N. peacekeeping troops, such as humanitarian assistance, and by exploring structural alternatives to U.N. peacekeeping operations.

The Military Balance has been published since 1959. The 2024 edition provides an open-source assessment of the armed forces and equipment inventories of over 170 countries, with accompanying defence economics data. In addition to detailed country data, The Military Balance assesses, region-by-region, important military issues. It includes graphics to illustrate defence personnel, equipment, and procurement developments. The 65th edition examines emerging lessons from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, details Chinese military activity around Taiwan, and identifies developments in uninhabited aerial vehicle exports. The accompanying wallchart spotlights the important issues around critical national infrastructure in the Euro-Atlantic. The book draws on the breadth of data in the Military Balance+ online database. The Military Balance and Military Balance+ are indispensable sources of information for those involved in defence and security policymaking, analysis, and research.

The official monthly record of United States foreign policy.

The cost and effectiveness of U.N. peacekeeping operations and their relationship to U.S. interests have emerged as major issues in recent years. This report discusses (1) the budgetary and personnel cost of the eight long-standing U.N. peacekeeping operations (Middle East, Kashmir, Cyprus, Golan Heights, Lebanon, Persian Gulf, Angola, and Western Sahara), (2) whether these operations are carrying out their mandates, (3) the status of efforts to resolve the underlying conflicts, and (4) the reasons the executive branch continues to support these operations.